Portland, ME to the Cabins: Route & Miles

From Portland the cabins are 300 road miles west, about five and a half hours of driving, and the fastest way is the old mountain road: US 302 across the Sebago lakes and through Crawford Notch, then two-lane Vermont roads to I-89, the Rouses Point Bridge over Lake Champlain and US 11 to Malone. No interstate route from Portland is faster. Plan it as a full day, with lunch in Littleton, New Hampshire, a little over two hours out.

300 milesby road from Portland, ME

five and a half hourstypical driving time

Malonethe last town: groceries, fuel, the hospital

4 guestsper cabin, each with its own hot tub

The route in five stretches

The measured route starts at Portland City Hall on Congress Street and ends at the cabins near Owls Head, about ten road miles south of Malone. It changes road numbers often, so the stretches below are the easiest way to hold it in your head. Times are driving times without stops.

Stretch	Roads	Miles	Driving time
Portland to Fryeburg	Forest Avenue, US 302 through Westbrook, Windham, Raymond, Casco, Naples and Bridgton	53	about an hour
Fryeburg to I-93 at Bethlehem	US 302 into Conway, US 302 and NH 16 through North Conway to Glen, US 302 through Bartlett, Crawford Notch, Bretton Woods and Twin Mountain	57	about an hour and a quarter
Bethlehem to I-89 at Georgia, Vermont	I-93 past Littleton to St. Johnsbury, I-91 for two miles, US 2 to Danville, VT 15 through Hardwick, Morrisville, Johnson and Cambridge, VT 104 and VT 104A through Fairfax	93	about an hour and three-quarters
Georgia to Rouses Point	I-89 north to exit 21 at Swanton, VT 78 to Alburgh, US 2 over the Rouses Point Bridge	35	about half an hour
Rouses Point to the cabins	US 11 west through Champlain, Mooers, Chateaugay and Burke to Malone, then County Route 25 south	62	about an hour and ten minutes

That adds up to about five and a half hours behind the wheel. With a lunch stop, fuel and a grocery run, plan on six and a half to seven hours door to door. The route crosses four states and no border: you stay in the United States the whole way, even where US 11 runs a few miles south of Quebec, so no passport is needed for this drive.

Portland to the New Hampshire line

Leave the city on Forest Avenue (Route 100) and pick up US 302 (Bridgton Road) about five miles out. From there US 302 does all the work for the first 55 miles. It runs northwest through Windham, Raymond, Casco and Naples, the Sebago Lake towns, and into Bridgton, about 40 miles out, with two supermarkets and gas stations on the way through.

At Fryeburg, US 302 is Main Street, and the fairgrounds sit on it at 1154 Main Street. The Fryeburg Fair runs for eight days in early October; in 2026 it ran from October 4 to October 11. If your trip falls in fair week, leave Portland early or allow extra time through Fryeburg. A few miles past the village, US 302 crosses into New Hampshire at Center Conway.

North Conway and Crawford Notch

In Conway the route bypasses the town center on Eastman Road and joins NH 16 at the south end of North Conway. From there the two highways share the road through North Conway village to Glen. New England 511 shows roadwork and slowdowns on this stretch before you set out. At Glen, US 302 turns west on its own, through Bartlett toward the mountains.

Crawford Notch is the climb of the trip. The road runs through Crawford Notch State Park, 5,775 acres along US 302, and tops out at about 1,900 feet near the north end of the notch. The park's address is 1464 US Route 302, and the Willey House site is the place to stop: a snack bar, a park store and short walks, with the historic site listed at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park posts no season dates for the snack bar, its campground closed for 2026 on October 24, and the state asks visitors to call 603-374-2272 for current hours, so check before you count on lunch there outside summer.

The railroad came through first. The Portland and Ogdensburg reached North Conway in 1871, and its line through the notch later became the Maine Central's Mountain Division. Conway Scenic Railroad still runs excursion trains on it, and its Mountaineer crosses the Frankenstein Trestle in the notch. In Vermont, the railbed the route follows later in the day was built from 1869 to 1877 as the Portland and Ogdensburg's Vermont Division, so for much of the afternoon you trace a railroad named for Portland and for Ogdensburg, the St. Lawrence River town 77 road miles west of the cabins.

Just past the top of the notch, the Appalachian Mountain Club's Highland Center sits beside US 302 in Bretton Woods. Lunch is for sale there from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and day parking costs $10. The road then runs past Bretton Woods to Twin Mountain and Bethlehem, and joins I-93 just west of Bethlehem.

Littleton and St. Johnsbury

I-93 runs north past Littleton, a good lunch town a few minutes up the interstate and about two and a quarter hours from Portland. The Littleton Diner at 145 Main Street has fed travelers on this spot since 1930 and serves from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. On the same street, Chutters holds the Guinness record for the longest continuous candy counter, 111 feet 11 inches on three tiers, with about 700 kinds of penny candy. Littleton is the natural place to fill both tanks before Vermont: there are gas stations on Main Street and Meadow Street, and a Shaw's supermarket and the Littleton Food Co-op if you want to shop early.

I-93 crosses the Connecticut River into Vermont and ends at St. Johnsbury, where the route takes I-91 north for about two miles and leaves at the US 2 exit. US 2 heads west out of St. Johnsbury through Danville for about ten miles to West Danville, where the route turns onto VT 15.

Across northern Vermont on VT 15

VT 15 is the long middle of the trip: about 45 miles of two-lane road through small towns, then another 14 on VT 104 and VT 104A. The road keeps company with the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, the 93-mile path from St. Johnsbury to Swanton on the old railbed, through Walden, Hardwick, Wolcott, Morristown, Hyde Park, Johnson and Cambridge. The trail opened end to end with a ride from Swanton to St. Johnsbury on July 15, 2023.

Hardwick and Morrisville both have fuel and food on VT 15. Past Johnson and Jeffersonville, the route leaves VT 15 at Cambridge for VT 104 through Fairfax and VT 104A to I-89 at exit 18 in Georgia. In winter, ignore any phone that suggests cutting through Stowe on VT 108: the road through Smugglers' Notch closes for the winter once the snow comes (in 2023 the state closed it in mid-November). Stay on VT 15.

Over the lake to Malone

The last 100 miles are the same ones Burlington and Boston guests drive, and the Burlington page takes them turn by turn. In short: I-89 north from exit 18 to exit 21 at Swanton, VT 78 west through Swanton village to Alburgh, US 2 over the Rouses Point Bridge into New York, and US 11 west for about 52 miles through Champlain, Mooers, Ellenburg Depot, Chateaugay and Burke to the east end of Malone. Vermont's Georgia information center sits on I-89 northbound just past exit 18, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the first rest area you reach on the interstate.

From Malone, County Route 25 heads south toward Owls Head. Follow the host's directions for the last few miles, for the reasons in getting to the cabins.

Fuel, food and groceries on the way

The route has fuel in every town of any size, with the longest gap through Crawford Notch. These are the useful stops, in order, with the mile from Portland.

Mile	Place	What is there
about 40	Bridgton, Maine	Fuel, groceries and food on US 302
about 65	North Conway, New Hampshire	Fuel, groceries, restaurants
about 88	Crawford Notch State Park	Willey House snack bar and park store in season; no fuel in the notch
about 92	AMC Highland Center, Bretton Woods	Lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., day parking $10
about 115	Littleton, New Hampshire	Littleton Diner, Chutters, fuel and groceries off I-93
about 157 to 171	Hardwick and Morrisville, Vermont	Fuel and food on VT 15
about 204	Georgia information center, I-89 north	Rest rooms, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
about 220	Swanton, Vermont, I-89 exit 21	Hannaford at 139 First Street, open to 10 p.m. (9 p.m. Sundays)
about 243	Champlain, New York	Price Chopper at 860 Route 11, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
about 290	Malone	Price Chopper, Aldi and Walmart; the Mobil at 593 East Main Street is open 24 hours

Malone is the last town: groceries, fuel and the hospital, ten miles from the cabins. The cabins have full kitchens, so one big shop on the way in covers a weekend; groceries and supplies lists the stores and their hours.

Other ways across

The mountains leave only a few ways west from Portland, and the measured alternatives all take longer. These are the ones worth knowing, with the difference against the main route.

Way	Roads	Miles	Against the main route
Main route	US 302, Crawford Notch, I-93, VT 15, I-89, Rouses Point Bridge, US 11	300	about 5 hours 35 minutes of driving
US 2 through Bethel and Gorham	US 302 to Bridgton, Maine roads north to Bethel, US 2 west through Gorham and Lancaster to St. Johnsbury, then the main route	308	about 20 minutes longer
The Kancamagus Highway	NH 112 from Conway west to Lincoln, I-93 north to St. Johnsbury, then the main route	310	about 20 minutes longer
The Grand Isle ferry	Main route to I-89, south to exit 17, US 2 and VT 314 to the dock, the boat to Plattsburgh, NY 190 and US 11 west	297	about 25 minutes longer
Interstates by way of Concord	Maine Turnpike (I-95), NH 101, I-93 to Concord, I-89 through Burlington, Rouses Point Bridge	376	about 30 minutes longer and 76 more miles

US 2 when the notch is closed

US 2 is the road to know. When flooding damaged the Bemis Brook Bridge in December 2023, the state closed US 302 inside Crawford Notch State Park for several days and sent traffic around by NH 16, US 2, NH 115 and US 3. If New England 511 shows the notch closed, take US 302 to Bridgton and follow the Maine roads north to Bethel, then US 2 west through Gorham and Lancaster to St. Johnsbury; it adds about 20 minutes and eight miles.

The ferry

The Grand Isle to Plattsburgh boats run around the clock all year, about 14 minutes across, and a car and driver pay $12.25 each way. From Portland the ferry saves about four miles and measures about 25 minutes longer with the crossing, plus any wait at the dock, so take it when you want a boat ride on the way in. The Port Kent to Burlington ferry has not run since 2019. The Lake Champlain ferries has the schedules and the history.

The interstates

The all-interstate way through Concord makes sense only if you are starting from York County or the New Hampshire seacoast, or if a storm makes the mountain roads a bad idea. From the Concord end it is the route on the Concord page, and the Boston page covers I-89 in detail.

The drive by season

Winter

US 302 climbs to about 1,900 feet at the top of Crawford Notch, and VT 15 passes 1,600 feet near Walden, so the middle of this drive can be snowing when Portland is raining. Check New England 511 (newengland511.org) for Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and 511NY for the New York end before you leave, and again at lunch. With good winter tires and a full tank, take the notch slowly and in daylight, and if 511 shows it closed, use the US 2 way through Bethel and Gorham above; the winter driving guide has the rest of the kit. December and January days are short: the sun sets at the cabins about 4:20 p.m. around Christmas, so a winter departure works best at 8 or 9 in the morning.

Moose and deer

Most of New Hampshire's moose collisions happen in the White Mountains and the North Country, and the state averages about 64 a year. May through October is the high-risk season, when moose come to the roads for the leftover salt, and dawn and dusk are the worst hours. A moose stands more than six feet at the shoulder, high enough that your headlights will not pick up its eyes, so drive at the limit, use high beams where you can and slow down for anything dark at the road edge. In New York, deer crashes peak from October through December.

Fall color

Fall color makes this the prettiest drive of the year, and the busiest. New York's foliage report for October 7 to 13, 2026 put Malone near peak, with mostly bright reds and oranges. In 2026 Fryeburg Fair week overlapped the start of the Columbus Day weekend, and the fair sits right on US 302, so start early on those Fridays. The fall foliage guide follows the color around the cabins.

Spring and summer

Summer is the easy season, with the longest daylight: the sun sets at the cabins at 8:47 p.m. in late June, so even a Friday start after lunch arrives in light. The Crawford Notch campground opens in late May and the AMC's information center at Crawford Depot runs in summer and fall. Under New York law a town can mark some back roads as seasonal limited-use highways that get no winter plowing, one more reason to follow the host's directions for the last miles at any time of year.

Flying and the bus

Most guests from Portland drive, because no flight helps. The Portland International Jetport's airlines fly to hubs such as New York, Washington, Charlotte, Chicago and Atlanta, and none flies to Burlington, Plattsburgh or any airport in northern New York. Burlington's own list of nonstops has no Portland flight either. Any trip by air means a connection through a hub and a rental car at the far end, which takes longer than the drive.

One combination does exist. Concord Coach Lines runs buses from Portland to Boston Logan, about two hours, from 3:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the schedule that took effect May 31, 2026. At Logan, Cape Air flies small planes to Adirondack Regional Airport at Lake Clear, about 40 road miles south of the cabins. It suits a guest who would rather not drive at all, and you will still need a car at Lake Clear; the airports guide has the rental options.

A Friday evening arrival

Check-in at the cabins is after 4 p.m. From Portland the plan that works most of the year is a late-morning start, lunch in Littleton and groceries at Swanton or Champlain, with a timeline like this one from an 11 a.m. departure.

Time	Where
11:00 a.m.	Leave Portland on US 302
12:15 p.m.	North Conway
12:50 p.m.	Crawford Notch State Park
1:15 p.m.	Littleton, lunch for 45 minutes
3:40 p.m.	I-89 at Georgia
3:55 p.m.	Swanton, groceries at the Hannaford for half an hour
4:40 p.m.	Rouses Point Bridge
5:30 p.m.	Malone
5:50 p.m.	The cabins

That puts you at the door with daylight from April to early October. The sun sets at the cabins at 7:43 p.m. in mid-April and 8:47 p.m. in late June, but at 5:59 p.m. in late October and 4:20 p.m. by late November. For a late-fall or winter Friday, leave Portland by 9 a.m. so the US 11 stretch and the last town roads come before dark. If you can only leave after work, a 5 p.m. start with one short supper stop reaches Champlain at about 10 p.m., in time for the Price Chopper there, which stays open until 11, and the cabins around 11:30. Most of that drive is in the dark through moose country, so the earlier start is the better trip.

What Maine guests come for

Guests from Maine have left reviews from Bridgton, Bowdoin, South Berwick and Old Town, and what they find is the same at all three cabins: a private hot tub, a fire pit, a full kitchen and woods around, with room for four. In winter Titus Mountain is three and a half road miles from the cabins, with night skiing on Friday and Saturday evenings (check its schedule for this winter), and The Modern Pine's listing puts the C7 snowmobile trail a three-minute ride away; the snowmobiling guide covers the trails. From June to October the hikes near Malone and the lakes are close, and Lake Placid is about 52 road miles away for a day trip. The three cabins page compares them, and book direct explains how to reserve.

The drive home

Checkout is before 11 a.m. The reverse trip works well with a Sunday lunch in Littleton or at the Highland Center and a stretch at Crawford Notch on the way down, with Portland about six and a half hours after you lock up. Leave by 11 and you clear the notch in daylight in every month; in December and January, when the sun sets between about 4:20 and 5, keep the lunch stop short. If New England 511 shows trouble in the notch or slow traffic in North Conway, the US 2 way through Gorham and Bethel costs only about 20 minutes.

Questions

How long is the drive from Portland, Maine to the cabins?

300 road miles from Portland City Hall, about five and a half hours of driving and six and a half to seven with a lunch stop and groceries. The fastest route is US 302 through Crawford Notch, I-93 to St. Johnsbury, VT 15 across northern Vermont, I-89 to Swanton, the Rouses Point Bridge and US 11 west to Malone.

Is it faster to take the interstates through Concord?

No. The Maine Turnpike, I-93 and I-89 way through Concord and Burlington is 376 miles, 76 more than the mountain route, and measures about half an hour slower. It is the choice only when a storm makes the notch roads a bad idea or you are starting from the New Hampshire seacoast.

What if Crawford Notch is closed?

Take US 302 to Bridgton, the Maine roads north to Bethel and US 2 west through Gorham and Lancaster to St. Johnsbury, then the main route. It adds about eight miles and 20 minutes. In December 2023 flood damage to the Bemis Brook Bridge closed US 302 in the notch for several days; New England 511 posts closures.

Can we fly from Portland instead?

Not usefully. No airline flies from the Portland Jetport to Burlington, Plattsburgh or any northern New York airport, so every air trip needs a connection and a rental car, and takes longer than the drive. The one alternative is the Concord Coach bus to Boston Logan and Cape Air to Lake Clear, about 40 road miles from the cabins. The airports guide has the details.

Where should we stop for lunch and groceries?

Littleton, New Hampshire, a little over two hours out, is the lunch town: the Littleton Diner on Main Street serves from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For groceries, the Hannaford at I-89 exit 21 in Swanton or the Price Chopper on US 11 in Champlain, open until 11 p.m.; Malone, ten miles from the cabins, is the last town.

What time should we leave Portland on a Friday?

Check-in is after 4 p.m. From spring to early fall an 11 a.m. start with lunch in Littleton and a grocery stop gets you to the cabins at about 6 p.m., in daylight. From late October through February, when the sun sets between about 4:20 and 6 p.m., leave by 9 a.m.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.

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nhstateparks.org nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/crawford-notch-state-park
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btv.aero btv.aero/where-we-fly/
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From Portland, ME to the cabins